Program Reviews

The all round trip was turly amazing and enspiering. Getting up everyday and going to the site where everyone is always so happy and excited to great and work with your for the day. Seeing all the children coming to the site and hiding and day by day they would slowing start showing them selves some more. I couldn't have asked for a better first trip. The only downside was not beig able to work a full day and then having last minute plans that we don't really know what is going on.

A great experience filled with many memories. We were a group of 17 volunteers, both from Canada and US. After many hours of flying, we were greeted by our host partner, BBR at the airport. Lama and Steven both made us feel comfortable and welcome with our new surroundings. Most of us had arrived a few days earlier so we could tour around Kigali. We stayed at the Mille Des Collines Hotel AKA Hotel Rwanda. Knowing how that hotel saved so many people during the genocide, we visited the Gisozi Memorial Centre in Kigali before our "work week" started. It's a must see to any tourist who visits Rwanda.
We convened on Sunday with all of our luggage and donations, ready to board the bus to take us to Gashora, our home for the next two weeks. Unfortunately, another vehicle was required to carry the additional luggage. After experiencing an "African Massage", we finally arrived at La Pallise-Gashora. We checked into our rooms and had a good night sleep before our first day of work. We arrived at the Covaga Innovation Centre by foot..aprox a 15-20 min walk. We were greeted by the women who were working at Covaga along with Peter, our site foreman for the duration of our stay. We quickly met Peter's co-workers before we had our duties laid out to us. Yes, it was hauling rocks into the the second building of the Covaga Innovation Centre to prepare for the concrete floor that was to be completed. We didn't think that we were going to get the floors laid, interior walls parged, exterior parged, and windows and doors installed...in time. There was a lot of work ahead of us. Mixing concrete the "African" way was not only exhausting but time consuming. After the first day of mixing batches of concrete and chain ganging the trays of concrete to the building, we asked Peter to find a few local guys to help us with the concrete mixing. That was a mind and body saver! It was a treat to also have the women who were weaving their baskets, drop what they were doing and jump into the Congo line to help us out..babies strapped to their backs and all. We managed to get a lot of the work done in our first week before leaving for Musanze to see the gorillas. It was a windy road up and down the mountains to Musanze. Watching people on bicycles hanging on to the backs of transport trucks to "catch a ride" was something to be seen. We checked into the Hotel Muhabura(Dian Fossey's second home in Rwanda) before heading to a great pizza place. Up very early to get into our jeeps and head to see the gorillas. It was truly amazing. One of our team members got "punched" by a silverback. That was not only a little scary for him but a laugh for the rest of us. Another "must see" if you get the opportunity. After the gorilla trek, we drove closer to Kigali to another hotel, Paradise Malahide where we were entertained by native dancers upon our arrival. It was a relaxing evening sitting by the fire pit, reminiscing about our gorilla trek experiences. We were able to take a boat ride on Lake Kivu on Sunday morning where we visited one of the only two natural Hotsprings in Rwanda. One of the local boys began to rub my husbands leg with the Hotsprings mineral filled water after he noticed his swollen leg(caused by a bike accident). He soon had 5 little guys massaging his leg. After thanking them for their efforts, we got back onto the boat and headed back to the hotel, ready for our departure to Gashora. We had a great weekend and got some R and R before beginning our second week of work. Back at the jobsite on Monday morning..we quickly got right into work mode with the parging of the interior walls. It's truly an acquired skill to get the cement from the float onto the walls without dropping half of it. The patience of our Gashoran work mates was incredible. We managed to get the parging of the interior and exterior walls done while some of our team members installed all of the doors and windows, the Rwandan way. We were able to meet with Gashora's local mayor, where we presented him with our donations to the community. It was a nice feeling, knowing that the goods were going to people who truly needed and appreciated the items. Thursday, being our last real work day was a great experience as we had accomplished our goals that we didn't think was possible at the beginning. Job well done! For lunch, we all took bicycle taxis to the Gashora Girls Academy of Technology and Sciences. That was a sight to see, 17 of us, all of different shapes and sizes on the back of the bikes travelling through the streets of Gashora. The school was very inspiring, knowing that girls from Rwanda have the opportunity for a better education and future. Our team had split up into groups to do some home visits in the afternoon. Another "must do", that will leave you with appreciation of your life back at home. That evening, we had invited our 20 Rwandan co-workers for a party back at our hotel. We displayed our Canadian construction tools along with other treats on a table. We put the workers name in a hat and allowed them to choose which allotment of goods they wanted. It was great seeing them with their own "new or slightly used" tools. They feasted on the buffet, all of them had gone up for two over flowing helpings. We enjoyed dancing with our co-workers, watching them with their natural rhythm. We were entertained by Vincent the rapper and Big Dog with his dance moves. A night filled with laughter and happiness. Friday, being our last day in Gashora was filled with mixed emotions. It was a great feeling knowing that we made a difference to the people of Gashora but also very sad leaving our Rwandan friends. Saying our good byes while getting on the bus was not easy. Most of us needed tissues to wipe the tears when Big Dog came aboard the bus for his final hugs and good byes. A moment I won't forget, seeing this teenager who wore the same clothes for two weeks straight, crying and wiping his tears on his sleeve trying to be strong. It was a quiet ride to Kigali, while we pondered our time in Gashora. We arrived back at the La Pallise Kigali and got ready for our final team dinner at Heaven. What a treat that was...a true North American dinner. Sunday was a day of leisure for most of us who were waiting to get to the airport for our long journey home. We said our good byes again to Lama, Steve and William..our wonderful hosts and tour guides from BBR. Another DWC trip that will leave wonderful memories forever. Thank you.

I have participated in two volunteer trips with Developing World Connections (DWC), once to Cambodia as a team member and once to India as a team leader. I found the five week volunteer experience in India to be an incredibly fulfilling adventure, with a very meaningful and organized project to work on, many cultural experiences, and an overwhelmingly kind and welcoming host partner, Youth Touch.

DWC worked with myself and the host partner’s leader for a year prior to organize trip details and provide me with training and resources while I recruited volunteers and organized fundraisers, etc. I highly recommend applying to become a Student Trip Leader with DWC if you would like to improve your leadership and communication skills, meet new people and of course, participate in a life-changing volunteer experience in a developing country. There is no past volunteer experience necessary to lead a Student Volunteer Trip with DWC, although the experience I had volunteering in Cambodia certainly helped. Student Trips’ through DWC are 4-5 weeks in length and held through May-Aug. for participants aged 15-29.

Our project in Sikar, India was to help build a three-story children’s home just outside of the city and near the poorest area within the region. The home was going to be used by Youth Touch to house gifted students who expressed interest in focusing on their studies, and whose parents had given their consent. The goal of the home was allow ~80 students from the poor slums of Sikar to live, study and be cared for in an environment that would accommodate their learning and development. The well-educated young adults would be candidates for well-paying government jobs and would be able to support their families still living in the slums, thus breaking the cycle of poverty.

Our group helped a mason and construction workers carry rocks, sand and other supplies from piles to where the foundation was being laid. We used large metal bowls and formed a chain, handing bowls off to one another. A runner would collect the bowls and bring them back to the start of the chain. This technique really added to our team spirit! We worked in shifts, one in the morning and one in the evening; we couldn’t work during mid-day because it was too hot. Although the work could be strenuous at times, breaks were encouraged and taken for water or for anyone who required a little extra rest.

The Youth Touch organization in Sikar was lead by an inspiring and kind leader, who ensured his guests and volunteers who stayed in his home were well cared for and comfortable. Meals were cooked by our leader’s wife and his sister-in-laws. The food was authentic and delicious. All of our food concerns and preferences were taken into account by the family who worked with us to ensure our needs were met. During our mid-day break from work, the leader of Youth Touch would engage our group in activities that familiarized us with the culture and ways of life in India. We dressed up in traditional clothing, learned how to cook our favourite dishes, and were given lessons on the social traditions, geography, Hindu religion and their language.

On weekends, we would travel around the Rajasthan area and visited monuments, temples, and cities, including the Taj Mahal in Agra. A highlight included an overnight camel back safari through the desert, and visiting Udaipur, known as the “Venice of India”. These excursions were not planned through DWC but instead through Youth Touch. As a trip leader, I researched tourist destinations and through recommendations by the Youth Touch leader and suggestions from other group members, we decided on a final list of destinations and activities to do on our weekends off from work. The Youth Touch leader budgeted costs (which were incredibly reasonable!) and planned an itinerary for these excursions.

When we left India after the five weeks we all agreed that we left with a very good understanding of the region and all felt that we had contributed to a very worth while organization that was hugely impacting the lives of some of the poorest children and their families in Sikar. India was an incredibly beautiful and fascinating country that stole our hearts. We all would like to return some day soon!

Overall, I highly recommend participating in Developing World Connections trips, either as a trip participant or leader, especially to Sikar, India with the non-profit organization and host partner, Youth Touch.

The most meaningful part of my experience was meeting the children and women that our partner organization, called Creating Possibilities Nepal, helped buy out of bonded labour and funded their education. Just simply playing with kids at the school, trying to communicate, sharing stories and smiles motivated us to work long days in the hot sun. We contributed to building a classroom and teaching English at a small school in a rural village. On the weekends we experienced the breathtaking natural beauty of Nepal while sightseeing and jungle trekking. Nepali people are so friendly and always ready to lend a helping hand, all of our meals were homemade and delicious, our transportation was safely organized, we had lots of time to rest and reflect in the afternoons and all of the other volunteers I traveled with have become my close friends.

My experience in Nepal was an experience like no other.
I found the people there to be so friendly, whether it be in KTM or on site with the Tharu Tribes folk. DWC and Creating Possibilities partnered together and created an intimate experience that would be difficult to replicate on your own.

The day to day was as you would expect for working a project like this, but again it was the intimate details between jobs that make this experience so memorable. The school that we built was located beside functioning class rooms of another school so we were able to interact with the children on a daily basis. Our lunches were made by some of the local mothers. The food was good but it was the mostly the same food each day, and our group for the most part did not like spicy food, so this made the food even more monotonous.

The off days were filled with trips to Lumbini and we also had an opportunity to get to Chitwan on the way back to KTM. The accommodations throughout were above average considering how far off the grid you were. This trip is a grind, but with the right attitude could be the surprise of all DWC trips.
A review would not be complete without giving Nura a shout out. Nura was our facilitator from Creating Possibilities and in my opinion did anything and everything she could do to accommodate our group. Expect nothing and give it your all and you will come back a happy traveler.

We would begin everyday with yoga, which I just love, breakfast and then drove for about 20 min through the country side to the job site. We built rebar frames that eventually formed the support pillars for the second floor of the school. We hauled 6000 bricks, gathered water from the river to mix with the cement, hauled sand and stone, we got dirty, it was hard work but it was worth it........we helped build a school for marginalized children.

Its hard for me to think of just one highlight of this trip ......there were the kids, always so curious and willing to pose for pictures but no smiles. That is until you showed them the picture that you took of them and then they transformed into beaming smiles of sunshine. I had the opportunity to visit one of the women's homes and help make lunch one day. They have so little and yet so freely give of what they have. Their strong spirits are amazing and inspiring.

That was 4 months ago and to this day just talking about it brings back so many great memories and tears of joy.....I can't wait to go back.

I feel very blessed to have been able to participate in such a personal life changing experience, I truly hope that if you are considering a trip like this that you don't hesitate, you're doing the right thing.

Namaste

The Developing World Connections truly does provide an amazing opportunity to develop world connections. I was the team leader for 6 other volunteers to a newer partnership DWC has in Nepal. We spent some days in Kathmandu before heading into the Dang district for our project work, and returning to the capital city again before we left. Our project was lead by Creating Possibilities Nepal, our host partner organization that works for the realization of rights and education for women and children in Nepal, particularly working with education support for girls bought out of bonded labour and micro-financing groups in rural Nepal for women.
From our moment of arrival until and beyond departure from Dang, all of us were welcomed warmly and kindly by everyone. What we experienced throughout those next 15 or so days was life affirming, altering and amazing. Our hotel family in Lamahi (45 minutes from the worksite in Chainpur) opened their homes and hearts to us, learning our preferences for black and milk tea, accommodating our crazy Canadian requests (sleeping on the roof) and making sure our rooms were in top condition (which meant some very consistent air conditioning…what a bonus!). Our meals were provided by the family--traditional Nepali food of dhal bhat and occasionally roti, with our weekend excursions giving us the chance to try different things. I recommend trying everything (at least once!), but just a warning: if they say spicy....they mean it!!

Our purpose for being in Dang was to learn from Creating Possibilities Nepal (CPN) and help with classroom construction at Shree Higher Secondary School in Chainpur, Nepal. We were welcomed to the work site with beautiful flowers and tikkas that would become familiar to us over the next weeks from visits to the mothers that CPN supports through micro-financing groups. We worked for 6 days on brick laying for the second floor of the classroom, alongside two friendly construction workers and some of the girls whom CPN supports. We managed through pouring sweat and crazy heat to watch progress on the walls and the space we were helping create. Our typical day began at 6am, early enough to beat the intense heat, and we would work until noon, laying bricks, building scaffolding and mixing cement for our particular contribution. We played games with the schoolchildren after lunch (spicy, tasty, locally made by some of the mothers in CPN's mother's groups) before our jeep ride back to our hotel in Lamahi.

We spent another week teaching English for grades 7-10 in the school. Arrived around 10am and taught for two periods of the day (a special exception due to teacher's exams that week). There were difficult challenges for some of the volunteers in terms of how to teach and communicate effectively with such significant language barriers. It was fascinating to explore the differences between just speaking English (as it is all our mother language) and teaching it as a second or third language. This was a bonus project in our DWC experience, as things on the ground cannot always go as planned (i.e. we ran out of funding for more construction).

We worked with the guidance of Dinesh, CPN's program coordinator, while we were in Dang. He provided us with the inside scoop on development in Nepal and made sure we were comfortable and safe at all times. Great conversations, hilarious moments and some amazing experiences together have made us so thankful for having him there with us while navigating the narrow Kathmandu streets and open spaces in Lamahi.

Working so closely with our host partner was an eye opening experience into development and charity work in Nepal, allowing us to explore tough questions on the role of volunteers and foreigners as well as exploring this amazing country. DWC was essential in creating this opportunity for myself and the six other girls who volunteered and provided us with the chance for such an eye-opening and humbling experience. With the countless development issues out there that prompt severe criticality around volunteering abroad (and as a political science/international development student), I can safely say that this program with DWC was a dream for its dedication to fulfilling locally assessed community needs and remaining transparent in the learning process-- there was no "hierarchy of help" between us volunteers and the community. This is also thanks in part to Creating Possibilities, for being so willing to engage in the kinds of conversations we need to see more of in the volunteer and development sector. We were there on an amazing learning exchange that brought us unbelievable cultural experiences and created long-lasting connections with the community in Chainpur and our host partner. I would highly recommend a DWC program as your first introduction to volunteering abroad or a way to do something meaningful and conscious--the connections you will develop with the host partner and community will broaden your horizons, rearrange your perceptions and give you the chance to engage yourself in the world and realities around you.

The trip to Cambodia was an incredibly gratifying experience. Both on the work level and the social fun aspect of this trip. The work did show (to me) how getting involved can help a persons level of life for oneself can be improved. The building of the latrines was an example of this as near the end the community came out to help finish the project. Wit everyone laughimng an dsmiling that they now had a private bathroom and a place to have a bath. Something which is taken for granted in western society. The social aspect was alot of fun as we had wonderful food, the odd beverage and great tours. Any difficulties were handled professionally by our team leader.

My 1st highlight long with so many others had to be when I was introduced to one of my sponsored children and her mother. During the meal the mother reached across the table to grasp my hands with hers in gratefulness and prayer. PS family is Buddhist.

The next highlight I'd like to mention is when I met the other 3 sponsored children with their siblings and their mothers. I think it was best expressed by one of the world vision people during lunch. When he said you have a large family and this is exactly how I felt with my sponsored children their siblings and the mothers.

There are many other highlights too many to mention in a short review comments nevertheless one that will always be close to my heart was when I visited the school and was allowed speak to the children and they responded.

Last but not least important was when I was returning to the hotel one of the world vision supervisor said to me. You're not like the rest of the people we meet from other countries who looked down at us you treat us equal.

We volunteered in a small village and lived in a Palace in Bhinder, Rajasthan for four weeks as part of a student-led trip in May of 2009. The villagers we worked with were amazing and incredibly inspiring. Their pace of life is so wonderfully simple, and it was nice to have the opportunity to assist them in helping to mitigate the effects of climate change in their village. I learned much about rural Indian life and what real work in 40 + degrees (Celsius) weather was like. I also got to visit several other cities and villages during the weekends and went backpacking for several weeks afterwards. My experience with DWC helped me to understand and appreciate the world's largest democracy and the coexistence of the Hindu and Muslim faiths. It was also a very secure experience and apart from a mild stomach flu/fever lasting a few hours, I had no real negative experiences in India. I Highly recommend this trip for anyone looking for a real adventure where anything is possible!